Darren Ambrose
Encyclopedia
Darren Paul Ambrose is an English footballer who currently plays for Crystal Palace
. Ambrose is a midfielder
.
, Essex
, Ambrose started his career at Ipswich Town
and made his debut as an 18 year-old against Arsenal
on 21 April 2002, replacing Martijn Reuser
during a 2–0 defeat at Highbury
. Ipswich lost their Premiership status the following month, though Ambrose started brightly in the next campaign, scoring on his full debut in a 2–0 victory against Walsall
at the Bescot stadium, and went on to score ten more goals in a total of thirty-seven appearances, combining superbly throughout the season with his close friend, striker Darren Bent
. In March, however, with Ipswich having fallen into administration, Ambrose was sold to Newcastle United
for what was considered a bargain £1m. The sale was ordered by the administrators, and completed at Newcastle by former Ipswich manager Bobby Robson
. Ambrose was reportedly upset to leave Ipswich.
, the final day of the 2002–03 Premier League season, and became a success during his first full season with the Toon, amassing three goals in 37 appearances, including one on his European début, against NAC Breda
in the UEFA Cup, and another during a thrilling 3–3 draw with Southampton
at St. Mary's Stadium in May.
Ambrose scored another three goals in 2004–05, scoring a notable long-range effort against Bolton Wanderers
at the Reebok Stadium
on Halloween, however moments like these were sparse as he made only 12 Premiership appearances for the club under new manager Graeme Souness
. After being in and out of the team for most of the season, Ambrose was called back into the starting line up for a match against Manchester Utd
at Old Trafford
on 24 April 2005. In a game that Newcastle eventually lost 2–1 thanks to Wayne Rooney's memorable strike, Ambrose was his team's outstanding performer and capped the performance with a fine solo goal. Many pundits claimed that this was the sort of form that convinced previous manager Sir Bobby Robson to fork out a seven-figure sum for the player, though he would ultimately fail to gain a regular place in the starting line-up.
Eventually he voiced his frustrations at the lack of first team opportunities, declaring that while he had warmed to Newcastle and its fans, he was in need of regular games and starts, something that Souness couldn't guarantee the player. A number of clubs expressed their interest in him, including Aston Villa and Blackburn, although he would eventually sign with Alan Curbishley's Charlton Athletic, stating on his arrival at the London club that his lack of chances in the Newcastle first team were a big contributor to his decision to join up with the Addicks. In total, he scored 6 goals in 56 appearances for United.
on 8 July 2005 for a fee estimated to be in the region of £1.5 million, stating that he was delighted to move to as big an ambitious and determined club as the Addicks and believed that Alan Curbishley was the perfect man to develop himself into a better player and further his footballing education. Things started well at his new club, as they won their first four matches of the new premier league season, with Darren Bent (who had joined up with Ambrose once again after moving from Ipswich in the summer) in particularly good form. Ambrose scored his first goal for his new club on 22 October 2005, against Portsmouth at Fratton Park, in a 2–1 victory for his side. However, Charltons form dropped dramatically as the season progressed and despite the player scoring three more goals against Manchester United (a brilliant 25-yard effort in November that levelled the scores at 1–1), Blackburn (in the 4th round of the League Cup) and Sunderland at The Valley respectively, the team eventually slumped to an 11th place finish in the table, despite Bent's 22 goal haul and Ambrose's impressive form in midfield. Things got worse for Ambrose as Curbishley left the club after 15 years of service.
Iain Dowie was named as Curbishley's successor, joining from London rivals Crystal Palace (a future club of Ambrose), after much controversy surrounding his departure. The 2006–07 season got off to a dismal start, with only two league wins by November. On 13 November 2006, the Charlton hierarchy had decided enough was enough, and relieved Dowie of his post. After youth team coach Les Reed had a short stint in charge, Alan Pardew was unveiled as Charlton's third manager of the season and fourth of the year, on Christmas Eve 2006. The club's results miraculously improved under the stewardship of the former West Ham manager and Ambrose began to regain the promising form he had shown in glimpses at Newcastle and during his first season with Athletic. Ambrose grabbed his first goal of the season against Fulham at The Valley on 27 December 2006, though the team were held to a 2–2 draw after a last minute Cottagers equaliser. Ambrose also found the net in a 4–0 defeat of Pardew's former club, West Ham at The Valley, on 24 February, rounding off the scoring after the team had led 3–0 at half-time. Ambrose scored a crucial goal in the very next match, a 2–2 draw with fellow struglers Watford at Vicarage Road, pulling a goal back for his team after the Hornets raced into an early 2–0 lead. Despite further improving results, the early season poor form of the team ultimately proved to much to gain points back on and after a 2–0 home defeat to high-flying Tottenham on 7 May, the team were relegated to English football's second tier for the first time since 2000.
There was much speculation regarding a transfer exodus during the summer transfer window, with Ambrose's name mentioned as one of those players in the exodus. However, Pardew and Ambrose stayed loyal to the club and despite the inevitable sale of Darren Bent, who moved to spurs for a fee in excess of £16.5 million, many of Charlton's key player's remained with the Addicks. At the beginning of the 2007–08 season, Charlton were widely tipped to bounce straight back up the top flight, however, just as in the previous season, the team made a less than impressive start, with mixed early results piling pressure on Pardew and his job. Despite Ambrose's team boasting among one of the best squads in the division, and results against the bigger teams in the division proving this fact, inconsistency proved the teams biggest downfall, and they despite Ambrose hitting nine goals in 42 appearances, he could not prevent the club from finishing in a disappointing 11th place.
After failing to gain promotion back to the Premier League in 2007–08, Ambrose was sent to former club Ipswich Town on loan in the first half of the 2008–09
season due to financial reasons, (ironically under similar circumstances to that of when Ambrose first moved from Ipswich in 2003) with rumors that Ipswich were reportedly interested in making the deal permanent in January 2009 for an estimated fee of £250,000, although no deal eventually materialised. He made nine appearances with no goals for the club, making his debut against Doncaster Rovers on 15 November 2008 and playing his last match on Boxing Day in a 1–0 defeat to Birmingham at Portman Road. On 2 January 2009, Ambrose returned to Charlton, who by now were fighting relegation for the second time in three years. Pardew had left the club by mutual consent in October and former Colchester and Hull boss Phil Parkinson was now in charge of improving the Addicks fortunes. He scored the winner in a 1–0 FA Cup Third Round Replay win over Norwich City, and played in most of Athletic's remaining fixtures. Unfortunately, Ambrose once again could not stop the club from suffering relegation, this time to the Coca-Cola Football League One. This was one relegation too many, and Ambrose began searching for a new club. He ended his four year stint with the club with a total of 17 goals from 127 appearances in all competitions.
Crystal Palace
. He set a career-best record of 12 goals in 20 games by November, a run that saw him named as the division's Player of the Month for the November.
He finished the season with 20 goals in all competitions. With Crystal Palace in administration, it was looking certain that Ambrose was going to leave at the end of the season, and was set to join QPR
, but he signed a new 3-year contract with Crystal Palace on 26 July 2010. On 30 November 2011 Ambrose scored a 35 yard long range shot at Old Trafford in Crystal Palace's 2-1 win over Manchester United in the Carling Cup.
.
Personal life
Darren married Rachel in 2007. Their wedding was at Clearwater Beach in Florida. Their first daughter Jessica was born in 2007. Their second daughter, Lily, was born in 2009. Darren's first son Harry was born in 2011.
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
. Ambrose is a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Ipswich Town
Born in HarlowHarlow
Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, Ambrose started his career at Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
and made his debut as an 18 year-old against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
on 21 April 2002, replacing Martijn Reuser
Martijn Reuser
Martijn Franciscus Reuser is a former Dutch footballer who last played for NAC Breda in the Eredivisie.Reuser began his career at Dutch side Ajax, and having joined the side at youth level, made the step up to play in the first team. He was a skillful, goalscoring midfielder who looked capable of...
during a 2–0 defeat at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
. Ipswich lost their Premiership status the following month, though Ambrose started brightly in the next campaign, scoring on his full debut in a 2–0 victory against Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
at the Bescot stadium, and went on to score ten more goals in a total of thirty-seven appearances, combining superbly throughout the season with his close friend, striker Darren Bent
Darren Bent
Darren Ashley Bent is an English footballer who plays for Aston Villa as a striker.Bent started his career with Ipswich Town. After progressing through their youth system he made his first team debut in 2001. He made 122 appearances and scored 48 goals in the league for Ipswich, before joining...
. In March, however, with Ipswich having fallen into administration, Ambrose was sold to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
for what was considered a bargain £1m. The sale was ordered by the administrators, and completed at Newcastle by former Ipswich manager Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
. Ambrose was reportedly upset to leave Ipswich.
Newcastle United
After returning from a short injury lay-off, Ambrose made his début for the Magpies on 11 May 2003 against West BromWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, the final day of the 2002–03 Premier League season, and became a success during his first full season with the Toon, amassing three goals in 37 appearances, including one on his European début, against NAC Breda
NAC Breda
NAC Breda , simply often known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Dutch Eredivisie and are known by the fierce and fanatic support of...
in the UEFA Cup, and another during a thrilling 3–3 draw with Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
at St. Mary's Stadium in May.
Ambrose scored another three goals in 2004–05, scoring a notable long-range effort against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
at the Reebok Stadium
Reebok Stadium
The Reebok Stadium is the home stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is commonly known as 'The Reebok'...
on Halloween, however moments like these were sparse as he made only 12 Premiership appearances for the club under new manager Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
. After being in and out of the team for most of the season, Ambrose was called back into the starting line up for a match against Manchester Utd
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
on 24 April 2005. In a game that Newcastle eventually lost 2–1 thanks to Wayne Rooney's memorable strike, Ambrose was his team's outstanding performer and capped the performance with a fine solo goal. Many pundits claimed that this was the sort of form that convinced previous manager Sir Bobby Robson to fork out a seven-figure sum for the player, though he would ultimately fail to gain a regular place in the starting line-up.
Eventually he voiced his frustrations at the lack of first team opportunities, declaring that while he had warmed to Newcastle and its fans, he was in need of regular games and starts, something that Souness couldn't guarantee the player. A number of clubs expressed their interest in him, including Aston Villa and Blackburn, although he would eventually sign with Alan Curbishley's Charlton Athletic, stating on his arrival at the London club that his lack of chances in the Newcastle first team were a big contributor to his decision to join up with the Addicks. In total, he scored 6 goals in 56 appearances for United.
Charlton Athletic
He joined Charlton AthleticCharlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
on 8 July 2005 for a fee estimated to be in the region of £1.5 million, stating that he was delighted to move to as big an ambitious and determined club as the Addicks and believed that Alan Curbishley was the perfect man to develop himself into a better player and further his footballing education. Things started well at his new club, as they won their first four matches of the new premier league season, with Darren Bent (who had joined up with Ambrose once again after moving from Ipswich in the summer) in particularly good form. Ambrose scored his first goal for his new club on 22 October 2005, against Portsmouth at Fratton Park, in a 2–1 victory for his side. However, Charltons form dropped dramatically as the season progressed and despite the player scoring three more goals against Manchester United (a brilliant 25-yard effort in November that levelled the scores at 1–1), Blackburn (in the 4th round of the League Cup) and Sunderland at The Valley respectively, the team eventually slumped to an 11th place finish in the table, despite Bent's 22 goal haul and Ambrose's impressive form in midfield. Things got worse for Ambrose as Curbishley left the club after 15 years of service.
Iain Dowie was named as Curbishley's successor, joining from London rivals Crystal Palace (a future club of Ambrose), after much controversy surrounding his departure. The 2006–07 season got off to a dismal start, with only two league wins by November. On 13 November 2006, the Charlton hierarchy had decided enough was enough, and relieved Dowie of his post. After youth team coach Les Reed had a short stint in charge, Alan Pardew was unveiled as Charlton's third manager of the season and fourth of the year, on Christmas Eve 2006. The club's results miraculously improved under the stewardship of the former West Ham manager and Ambrose began to regain the promising form he had shown in glimpses at Newcastle and during his first season with Athletic. Ambrose grabbed his first goal of the season against Fulham at The Valley on 27 December 2006, though the team were held to a 2–2 draw after a last minute Cottagers equaliser. Ambrose also found the net in a 4–0 defeat of Pardew's former club, West Ham at The Valley, on 24 February, rounding off the scoring after the team had led 3–0 at half-time. Ambrose scored a crucial goal in the very next match, a 2–2 draw with fellow struglers Watford at Vicarage Road, pulling a goal back for his team after the Hornets raced into an early 2–0 lead. Despite further improving results, the early season poor form of the team ultimately proved to much to gain points back on and after a 2–0 home defeat to high-flying Tottenham on 7 May, the team were relegated to English football's second tier for the first time since 2000.
There was much speculation regarding a transfer exodus during the summer transfer window, with Ambrose's name mentioned as one of those players in the exodus. However, Pardew and Ambrose stayed loyal to the club and despite the inevitable sale of Darren Bent, who moved to spurs for a fee in excess of £16.5 million, many of Charlton's key player's remained with the Addicks. At the beginning of the 2007–08 season, Charlton were widely tipped to bounce straight back up the top flight, however, just as in the previous season, the team made a less than impressive start, with mixed early results piling pressure on Pardew and his job. Despite Ambrose's team boasting among one of the best squads in the division, and results against the bigger teams in the division proving this fact, inconsistency proved the teams biggest downfall, and they despite Ambrose hitting nine goals in 42 appearances, he could not prevent the club from finishing in a disappointing 11th place.
After failing to gain promotion back to the Premier League in 2007–08, Ambrose was sent to former club Ipswich Town on loan in the first half of the 2008–09
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...
season due to financial reasons, (ironically under similar circumstances to that of when Ambrose first moved from Ipswich in 2003) with rumors that Ipswich were reportedly interested in making the deal permanent in January 2009 for an estimated fee of £250,000, although no deal eventually materialised. He made nine appearances with no goals for the club, making his debut against Doncaster Rovers on 15 November 2008 and playing his last match on Boxing Day in a 1–0 defeat to Birmingham at Portman Road. On 2 January 2009, Ambrose returned to Charlton, who by now were fighting relegation for the second time in three years. Pardew had left the club by mutual consent in October and former Colchester and Hull boss Phil Parkinson was now in charge of improving the Addicks fortunes. He scored the winner in a 1–0 FA Cup Third Round Replay win over Norwich City, and played in most of Athletic's remaining fixtures. Unfortunately, Ambrose once again could not stop the club from suffering relegation, this time to the Coca-Cola Football League One. This was one relegation too many, and Ambrose began searching for a new club. He ended his four year stint with the club with a total of 17 goals from 127 appearances in all competitions.
Crystal Palace
With his contract at Charlton ending at the end of that season, Ambrose was free to leave the club, and decided to remain in South London, joining local rivalsSouth London derby
South London derby is the name given to a football derby contested by any two of Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Millwall and AFC Wimbledon, the four Football League clubs based in South London, England...
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
. He set a career-best record of 12 goals in 20 games by November, a run that saw him named as the division's Player of the Month for the November.
He finished the season with 20 goals in all competitions. With Crystal Palace in administration, it was looking certain that Ambrose was going to leave at the end of the season, and was set to join QPR
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
, but he signed a new 3-year contract with Crystal Palace on 26 July 2010. On 30 November 2011 Ambrose scored a 35 yard long range shot at Old Trafford in Crystal Palace's 2-1 win over Manchester United in the Carling Cup.
International Career
Ambrose is a former England U21 nationalEngland national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
.
Career statistics
- As of 30 November 2011.
Club Season League Cup Europe UEFAThe Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....Play-Offs Total Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Ipswich Town Ipswich Town F.C.Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....2001–02 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2002–03 29 8 0 4 2 0 3 0 0 36 10 0 Total 30 8 0 4 2 0 3 0 0 - - - 37 10 0 Newcastle United Newcastle United F.C.Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...2002–03 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2003–04 24 2 1 2 0 0 11 1 0 37 3 1 2004–05 12 3 0 2 0 0 4 0 0 18 3 0 Total 37 5 1 4 0 0 15 1 0 - - - 56 6 1 Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic F.C.Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...2005–06 28 3 2 5 1 0 33 4 2 2006–07 26 3 2 4 0 0 30 3 2 2007–08 37 7 5 2 1 0 39 8 5 2008–09 21 0 0 2 1 0 23 1 0 Total 112 13 9 13 3 0 - - - - - - 125 16 9 Ipswich Town Ipswich Town F.C.Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
(loan)2008–09 9 0 1 0 0 0 9 0 1 Total 9 0 1 0 0 0 - - - - - - 9 0 1 Crystal Palace Crystal Palace F.C.Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...2009–10 2009–10 Football League ChampionshipThe Football League Championship season 2009–10 is the sixth season of the league under its current title and eighteenth season under its current league division format...46 15 9 7 5 3 53 20 12 2010–11 2010–11 Football League ChampionshipThe 2010–11 Football League Championship was the seventh season of the league under its current name and nineteenth season under its current league division format...28 8 2 1 0 0 29 8 2 2011–12 2011–12 Football League ChampionshipThe 2011–12 Football League Championship is the eighth season of the league under its current title and nineteenth season under its current league division format....13 2 1 4 3 1 17 5 2 Total 87 25 12 12 8 4 - - - - - - 99 33 16 Career total 275 51 23 33 13 4 15 1 0 - - - 323 65 27
Honours
- November 2009 ChampionshipFootball League ChampionshipThe Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
Player of the Month
Personal life
Darren married Rachel in 2007. Their wedding was at Clearwater Beach in Florida. Their first daughter Jessica was born in 2007. Their second daughter, Lily, was born in 2009. Darren's first son Harry was born in 2011.
External links
- Darren Ambrose Official website at officialplayerwebsites.com
- Darren Ambrose profile at the Crystal Palace website